Chapter 415: Cold Granary

Qingdu Mountain.

Time had passed swiftly, and Qingdu Mountain had completely stabilized as a peak within the lake. It was now fully integrated with the lake's water and earth veins, showing no signs of having been moved there.

Li Xijun was practicing his swordsmanship on the mountain. Compared to his brothers, his talent wasn't particularly high. Over the past two years, Li Ximing had advanced to the ninth level of Qi Refining with the aid of medicine, his cultivation steadily approaching completion. Li Xizhi had also broken through to the seventh level, but Li Xijun himself still lingered at the sixth.

"The last three levels of Qi Refining are particularly difficult. My talent is not as great; I only managed to keep pace with them earlier by taking advantage of some opportunities. It's only natural that I've fallen behind."

He maintained a steady mindset, practicing his swordsmanship ceaselessly, day and night. As he wielded his longsword, his movements gradually developed a certain grace, flowing perfectly and effortlessly.

"'The Three Points Moonlight Flow' is truly difficult," he mused. "After years of diligent study, I've finally made some slight progress."

As Li Xijun was practicing his swordsmanship, he saw a monk land on the peak. The monk had a long jade box strapped to his back and looked at him gently.

"Master, you've finally returned!"

Kong Heng had been gone for two years. If Li Xizhi hadn't sent a letter explaining his absence, they would have suspected something had happened to him on his journey. Li Xijun glanced at the jade box on Kong Heng's back, had a premonition, and joyfully exclaimed:

"Has the Dharma sword been forged?"

Li Xijun currently possessed no valuable treasures. The ceramic red bead and the defensive spiritual artifact, the Late Red Glaze, originally given to him by Li Yuanjiao, were quite good Qi Refining level artifacts, but he had given them to his sister, Li Yuexiang, for her protection early on. Now, he only had the sword in his hand.

Now that his elder brother had specially forged a Foundation Establishment artifact for him, how could Li Xijun not be delighted? Even with his usual composure, he rarely showed such joy.

"Indeed!"

Kong Heng nodded. He took down the jade box from his back and, supporting it with both hands, drew out a long sword. The sword's body was like white snow, with a cold gleam flowing over it. Its blade was relatively thin, and the overall shape was slender.

Kong Heng held the sword flat with both hands, presenting it and saying:

"This sword is three feet, nine *cun*, and three *fen* long, weighing ninety-two *jin* and twelve *liang*. Forged from refined cold iron, it is a Foundation Establishment artifact. Clear as flowing water, pure as white frost, it is named 'Hanlin'."

Li Xijun's eyes were already fixated on it. He trembled as he took it, nodding and saying:

"Good... good..."

The Hanlin Sword resonated with a clear clang in his hand. The two seal script characters 'Hanlin' on its blade suddenly lit up, emitting a white glow, as if in joy.

Li Xijun reversed the grip on the sharp blade, holding the sword backward. The pure white blade pointed towards his opposite shoulder, emitting a chilling cold. He measured it for two breaths, then said again:

"Good!"

He raised a brow and brandished the precious sword, whipping up a fierce cold wind around him. A single cold light swayed in the wind, then suddenly transformed into three streams of light, snow-white and crystal clear, dancing and fluttering in the air, circling around him.

"The Three Points Moonlight Flow!"

Li Xijun exhaled deeply, and the three streams of light vanished. The swordsmanship he hadn't been able to fully perform for years was finally executed with the Hanlin's enhancement, freezing the bluestone beneath his feet into smithereens.

"Good!"

Then a deep, husky voice rang out. Li Xijun was very familiar with this voice. He quickly sheathed his sword and respectfully said:

"Greetings, Old Ancestor!"

Li Yuanjiao slowly emerged from the stone path. He was very satisfied and said softly:

"Your talent in swordsmanship is good. You excel in diligence and hard work, and you are devoted to the sword. Your efforts will surely bear fruit."

He paused, then added softly:

"Old Ancestor Tongya also practiced swordsmanship for thirty years before mastering this move. You've certainly caught up to him."

Li Xijun quickly denied it, respectfully saying:

"How can that be compared! This junior is dull-witted; I've studied this swordsmanship for twenty years. Although the ancestor practiced swordsmanship for thirty years, he only took ten years to master this sword manual after obtaining it. Naturally, it cannot be compared!"

Li Yuanjiao saw his fearful expression, realizing it was genuine reverence rather than feigned humility. He laughed heartily and said with satisfaction:

"Good. At least it's better than mine, no matter what!"

Li Xijun started to speak but then hesitated, cut off by Li Yuanjiao's wave. He took the Hanlin Sword, examined it, and said in a deep voice:

"This material is excellent... probably second only to Qingchi. The price certainly wouldn't have been pretty. Fortunately, it was merely modified, not completely forged. Take thirty spirit stones and send them to Zhier. Don't let him push himself too hard and delay his cultivation."

Li Xijun affirmed. The Li family currently had a substantial surplus, having accumulated a reserve of over a hundred spirit stones over the years, so spending a few dozen wouldn't be difficult.

Li Yuanjiao returned the sharp blade to his hand and muttered a few words:

"The name is quite good."

Li Xijun pursed his lips, while Kong Heng pursed his lips and remained silent. Kong Heng offered a word of apology and quickly withdrew. Li Yuanjiao took out a small letter and said seriously:

"This is a letter sent back by Zhier. It arrived at my cave dwelling a long time ago. Take a look."

Li Xijun nodded. He quickly scanned it and said in a deep voice:

"From this junior's perspective... we should immediately go overseas. On one hand, we can look for an island to establish ourselves abroad. On the other hand, we mustn't allow Situ Mo to focus all his energy on targeting the Xuanyue Sect."

"After all, the Xuanyue Sect has a good relationship with our family, and Kong Tingyun is even a friend of Second Uncle. Why don't our family and she join forces? At the very least, we should make Situ Mo suffer a loss!"

His mind was sharp, and he quickly made a deduction:

"It would be best if we could uncover Situ Mo's accomplice or background and eliminate them. This would prevent him from guessing our family's whereabouts, and the threat would be greatly reduced."

He said softly:

"As long as Kong Heng is left at home... he is best at defense, and with the family's grand array, there will naturally be no problems, especially since Situ Mo has not yet returned from overseas!"

Li Xijun said this, but in reality, he knew that once their position was confirmed, a Foundation Establishment cultivator might not necessarily need to remain guarding the home. He understood Li Yuanjiao's cautious nature, so he swallowed the rest of his words.

Li Yuanjiao had been in secluded cultivation for over two years. His injuries were healed, and with the aid of various spiritual pills, his cultivation had even slightly improved. He currently said:

"It's certainly feasible... but if Situ Mo's accomplice truly is Zhao Shi, without Kong Heng's assistance, we might not even be able to find this monk, let alone deal with him."

Li Xijun nodded slightly and whispered:

"Aunt is a significant combat force, and she must go. Does Uncle mean... to have Senior Wushao stay behind?"

"Yes."

Li Yuanjiao nodded and replied:

"We'll also need that demonic snake to guide us in the East Sea. So, why don't we first deal with Situ Mo's matter, and then let Qinghong return home to take his place?"

"That's the only way..."

Li Xijun sighed softly and said with doubt:

"But I'm afraid that as soon as we set off from here, that person will have already calculated our movements!"

"I asked Kong Heng. He said that person has to pay a price to calculate my location, so they won't know our whereabouts at all times. It's better to act quickly, go immediately, and catch Situ Mo off guard..."

Li Yuanjiao said this aloud, but secretly, his heart was filled with uncertainty. He thought to himself:

'Our family is gradually gaining status, and we can hear some news. A Purple Mansion cultivator shouldn't act directly. What we should fear most is a group of cultivators like Zhao Shi lying in ambush!'

He pondered, deciding to first send Kong Heng to the East Sea with a letter for Kong Tingyun of the Xuanyue Sect, to inquire about the current situation before making further plans.